Method and means for treating electrically conducting liquids



y 18, 1939- L. A. TROFIMOV 2,166,671

METHOD AND MEANS FOR TREATING ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING LIQUIDS Filed Jan 8, 1937 SOURCE OF 27 FUEL INVENTOR.

Z6 Lev Afiofz'mov,

I FIG-4 35 i g fi M4 (M1 ATTORNEYS Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATES METHOD AND MEANS FOR TREATING ELEC- TRICALLY CONDUCTING LIQUIDS Lev A. Troil m ov, Cleveland, Ohio, 'assignor, by

*mesne assignments,

to Product Development and Engineering Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 8,

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved method and means for producb ing electric current impulses-and for cohvertmodification, and

ing them into mechanical force impulses and for applying the forceimpulses as pressure impulses in a body of electrically conducting fluid material in a manner to eilect thesexpulsion of gases and other impurities from the liquid material.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains.

My invention is fully disclosed in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view insome respects diagrammatic illustrating one means of practicing my invention;

Fig. .2 is a fragmentary view generally similar to Fig. I but illustrating a modification;

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating theapplication of my invention to the expulsion of air and other impurities from molten metal.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating a FigT5 is a diagram of certain -electric current characteristics utilized in the praptice of my invention. r 6

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1, I have sho at l a closed frame of ferrous metal and at 2 a magnetic core. bridging the frame, and at 3 an electric winding encircling the core 2 and spaced therefrom a substantial distance. As is well known, current in the winding 3 will cause magnetic flux to flow" axially through the core 2 in l and back into the core.

At 1 is a metal ring, preferably of low electrical resistance, surrounding the core 2 and disposed within the winding 3 or adjacent to its upper end. Below the ring 4 is a support comprising one or more block's 5--5 having upper faces S-i preferably parallel to the lower edge of the ring I. The blocks 55 are preferably disposed symmetrically around the core 2, but if made from non-electrical conducting material may be combined in a single annulus. In any case, the blocks ring .4, at one end abutting on a shoulder 8 there-V of and at the other end seated in recesses 9 -9 in the blocks-i-i.

' The spring I normallyholds the ring I in an 1931, Serial N0. name (01. 5-93) upper position, as illustrated, determined by a preferably non-electrically conducting ring It provided around the core 2 and secured in any suitable manner either to the ring or to the frame I at the upper end of the core. The ring Ill is preferably also fitted between the frame I and coil 3, to hold the coil down. L

. The winding ,3 may be energized from mains ll througha make-and-break switch l2, the switch l2 being illustrated diagrammatically, but pref-v erablybeing any well known switch by which the current flowing therethrough may be abruptly broken. Such switches are well known in the art and I it is believed unnecessary to illustrate or describe them.

Upon closing the switch l2, current flows from the mains I I through the winding 3, causing magnetic flux to build up in the core 2 and frame I.

Now I have. found, by experiment, that 'if theswitch l2 be suddenly opened to abruptlyinterrupt the current from the mains l'l there will be developedin the ring an electric current which produces an electro-magnetic force of attraction on the ring I, and the ring will tend to move downwardly.

The more rapidly the current is broken the greater will this force be on thejring I, and if the switch II he opened to break thecurrent very quickly, the force will be very great and the, ring 4 will be projected downwardly and will strike a blow on the blocks After the blow has been struck, that is to say, afterthe impulse has been effected, the force on the ring dies out .and the ring will then be again raised by the spring I, and the cycle is complete. The current maximum value at 40 and then,'when abruptly' broken, at 42.

As a practical use for such a blow, the ring I,

props as at H and finally dies out as cycle above described is illustrated in Fig.5. 'The current builds up along the line 39 to a constant 7 shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1, maybe utilized as a hammer and the blocks 5-5 as an anvil and a forging operation may be performed on a workpiece l3 by the repeated blows of the ring 4. Or for other purposes, a pair of rods "-44 may be connected to the ring 4 at their inner ends and at their outer ends connected to a head l5. As the ring 4 reciprocates, as above described, reciprocatory motion will be transmitted to an element It for any useful purpose, particularly one in which the down stroke is the' working stroke. With the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1, the

switch I: may be used to produce single down' strokes of the ring 4. Another arrangement is shown in. Fig. 2. Here the main switch I! is normally forced open by a powerful spring I! and may be closedby a cam follower l3 operated by 5 a cam 20 which is continuously rotated in the direction of the arrow 2| by an electric motor 22, the speed of which may be adiustably-varied by a rheostat 23 in the fleldcircuit 24 of the motor. There will be a natural periodicity for the ring 4, and if the motor 22 is adjusted to the correct speed, the switch I! will 'open each time at the same periodicity, whereby a rapid succession of powerful blows of the ring 4 or reciprocations of the element It may be effected. In Fig. 3, I have illustrated the application of my invention to another use. Here the frame I, core 2 and winding 3 may be as in theformof Fig. 1. At 25'is a spacer either in the form of separate blocks or in the form of an annulus as described for the first form. Upon the spacer and-within the winding 3 or adjacent-to its upper end is an annular upwardly open vessel 26 which may be v-form or U-form in cross section, as shown, surrounding the core 2. h 25 The winding 3 may be energized with current by the circuit shown in Fig. 1 but preferably by that shown in Fig. 2. I 1

With the. arrangement as il'ustrated in Fig. 3, andas described above, it will be noted that the 30 medial transverse plane of the winding 3, at whichits field is at maximum density, is below at least the greater part of the vessel 23 or of'the contents therein.

This application of the invention illustrates its use to iorceout of liquid metal air and other impurities. As is well known, these impurities .are customari'y workedout ,of steel or iron by processes well known in steel mill practice.

-- To remove suchlmpurities by the practice of my invention, the liquid molten metal 21 is.

poured into the vessel 26 (the vessel therefore being made of heat-resisting material). While the metal is still molten, the winding v{is energized, as above described. n the flux in the .core 2 is building up, current may be generated in the molten metal.- If desired, this current may be kept down to any desired low value by retarding the building up of the flux in the core 2, since, as is well known, theamount of current induced to in the metal will be proportional to the rate of change of menu. To accomplish slow building up of thefiux, an induction unit. 23 may be placed in the circuit of. the-winding 3, when the. switch I1 is in it'supper or closed position as showndn so dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The circuitto the winding 3 is then broken by opening the switch l1 and thereupon the induction unit/28 is short circuited by a contact 23, a

wire lll'andthe upper switch arm; and if the' C0 switch is opened quickly the current will be quick- -lybroken. Current is thereby generated in the- 70 By utilizing the arrangement shown in Fig. 2,

and timing the periodic closing and opening of the switch 11 to the rate of building up and. dylng out offiux in the core 2, a rapid succession of force impulses on the molten metalmay be :5 eil'ected, causing the said impurities and! hubin the electrically'conducting annulus, .may be changes which may be made and which are n bles to move rapidly toward the surface of the metal. V

The metal may be allowed to cool in its purified condition or the purified metal in the lower part of the vessel may be drained oil out of the bottom 5 thereof, by means not shown but well known in the art.

Insome cases it .may be desired to maintain the'molten metal 21 in molten condition for a period of time during which it is being purified 10 as above described. In such cases, the arrangement illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4 may be employed. A cover 3| of refractory or heatresisting material and of annular downwardly concave form is placed overthe the annularves- 15 sel 25 and preferably fitted thereto. In the upper side or bottom of the cover 3|, -a plurality of spaced burners 3222 are provided projecting into the cover and arranged to. project a' flame upon the molten metal: .By' this means, the up- 20 will be suitably heated. .Lateral outlets "-3:

may be provided in'the side ,wall of the cover 3| for the escape of gases of combustion.

As will now be apparent, from the foregoing description, the force impulses which are created utilized as static forces, as blows, or as reciprocations.

Also, as will be clear, the annulus in which the force is developed may be made from solid ma- 40 teri'al or may be liquid or gaseous, it being only necessary that it be of' electricallv conducting "varied as desired to suit any particular case by varying ina well known manner the strength of the magnetic flux in the core and the rate at which it is caused to die out when the current is broken and the electrical resistance of the annulus itself'.- 4 p In the foregoing I have illustrated a number of practical uses for mechanical force impulses produced by the method and means embodying my invention. l'hese are merely illustrative. My invention is applicable to-numerous other uses andis not limited to the exact means shown but is'inclusive of all applications of" my invention and to the numerous modifications alzd t illustrated nor described herein andwhich come within the scope of the appended claims.

1 claim: l

l. The method of purifying molten metal which includes disposing'the metal in annular 05 form in a supporting vesseh repeatedly buildingv up a magnetic field within and embraced by the annular metal to develop current in the metal to effect a reaction on the-field in the direction to andcausing the field to abruptly cease to .develop current in the annular 'metal to thereby effect a reaction on the field ir the direction to cause downward force to be developed in the molten -mass to force upwardly therefrom gases 76 other impurities, and while said action isrepeatedly going on, applying heat from an external source to the metal to maintain it in molten condition'the rate of decrease of the field and the downward force on the metal efiected thereby being greater than the rate of building up of the flux and the upward force on the metal respectively.

2. The method of treating electrically conducting liquid supported in a vessel in the form of a closed loop, which includes gradually building up an electro-magnetic field within the loop the magnetic field having a transverse plane of maximum density below at least the greater portion of the liquid, and the building up of the fieldclosed loop form, a magnetic circuit comprising a field element encircled by the loop, a winding to supply magnetic flux to the field element and having a transverse medial plane below at least the greater portion of the liquid, a source of electric current and'a circuit for energizing the winding, and circuit controlling means to repeatedly effect building up of fiux in the winding and then decay thereof and to cause the decay of the flux to occur at a much more rapid rate than the building up of the flux.

4. In an apparatus for treating electrically conducting liquid, a liquid containingvessel of closed loop form, a magnetic circuit comprising a field element encircled by the loop, a winding to supply magnetic flux to the field element and having a transverse medial plane below at least the greater portion of the liquid, a source of electrio current and a circuit for energizing the winding, and circuit controlling means to repeatedly close the circuit for a period of time and then to break the circuit in a shorter period flux in the winding and then decay thereof at a much more rapid rate than the cbuilding up thereof.

LEV A. TROFIMOV.

' of time to repeatedly effect building up of the 

